On 23rd November at the National Motorcycle Museum in Solihull the BFREPA 25th Anniversary Conference was held. This year for the Breakthrough Award Hipra UK & Ireland's new coccidiosis vaccine EVALON® was chosen.

BFREPA has represented the UK free range egg producers for 25 years, and this year chose to award Hipra UK & Ireland with its Breakthrough Award for the new coccidiosis vaccine, EVALON®.

EVALON® was launched in May 2016 and can be applied to chicks from one day of age to protect them from clinical coccidiosis caused by Eimeria acervulina, Eimeria maxima, Eimeria necatrix, Eimeria brunetti and Eimeria tenella.

EVALON® is a true breakthrough product because the immunity to clinical coccidiosis provided by EVALON® has been demonstrated to last for 60 weeks of age.

The solvent, Hipramune®T, is a breakthrough too: Hipramune®T contains an adjuvant which modulates the immune response to enhance the development of immunity – this is the first time an adjuvant has been used in this way in a live vaccine. Hipramune®T also contains a colouring agent and vanillin aroma which have been developed specifically to enhance the intake of the vaccine.

HIPRA have also developed a new concept, HipraSpray®, a medical device for hatchery administration, with various new features to help ensure hatchery application is good application every time. The RFID tag on each vial of EVALON® can be scanned into the HipraSpray® machine, which will calculate the correct amount of water required for dilution. The HipraSpray® vaccine tank contains a magnetic stirrer to maintain ideal suspension of the vaccine oocysts. HipraSpray® can also create a vaccination report, and via HIPRALINK® technology this can be added to and transmitted to customers in real time. HIPRALINK® is a software developed by HIPRA to provide traceability services in the vaccination processes, but this software goes beyond traceability: the Smart Vaccination concept. Smart Vaccination is a brand new concept, not only for HIPRA but for the Animal Health industry. It is a revolutionary technological concept that combines: RFiD technology, state-of-the-art medical device and HIPRALINK®.

HIPRA UK & Ireland has been in the UK since 2010, and are passionate in providing solutions to disease issues in the UK. HIPRA is a Spanish company and are entirely focused on prevention, committing to only develop preventative medicines, such as vaccines in the future. They have a strong investment programme into their own research and development department, in order to provide more innovative answers in the quest for preventative medicine.

HIPRA are honoured & delighted that EVALON® has been recognised as the breakthrough product of the year, by UK free range producers represented so well by BFREPA.